Blog #7: Final Product Planning

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog! I’ve been working on a plan for my final product, a short documentary. I’ll begin the documentary with some background information on the McKinney-Vento Act and students, the Fremont Education Foundation, and the Pathway to Success Program. This week, I brainstormed interview questions for FUSD Student Support Services that will hopefully provide deeper insight into the challenges that MKV students face as well as how the school district supports them through these challenges. I also aim to interview the Basic Needs Coordinator at Ohlone College, a local community college. He can lend insight into how MKV students transition to higher education and the resources provided to help them adapt.

As much as I would like to speak to an MKV student to hear their firsthand perspective, privacy laws protecting their identities prevent me from doing so. However, I will include snippets of anonymous grant applicants’ essays.

On the financial side of things, my EA and I have agreed to redirect the funds originally intended for the HUSD program to the FUSD program. The Fremont Education Foundation bookkeeper sent me a new invoice that I have forwarded to our fiscal sponsor, who will keep me in the loop about the fund disbursement timeline.

I’m still not sure exactly how much of the Facebook campaign donations were able to be recouped, but I’m working on getting that information together. Even in the absolute worst-case scenario that no one who originally contributed to the campaign chose to re-donate, with an extra $7,000 redirected to FUSD, the program will be able to support approximately 9 MKV students. But fingers crossed that most of the money can be recouped!

I’ve finished my review of all grant applicants and have sent my thoughts to my EA and other Fremont Education Foundation board members, who will complete a separate review. After final decisions are made, we’ll provide the names of award recipients to my contact at FUSD, who will notify the students’ respective schools. We don’t tell students that they’ve won until their Senior Awards night to keep it a surprise!

That’s it for this week. See you after Spring Break!